Love and Delirium in The Pacific
by AllyFoxRoe
Summary: While in the marines on Pavuvu you contract malaria, your best friends Runner, Leckie, Chuckler, and Sid attempt to care for you. But when fever turns into delirium only one marine can take care of you. Hoosier x reader.


You lay in your cot uncomfortably, your clothes are soaked with sweat, and being in the tropic temperatures of the Pacific here on Pavuva didn't help your situation. Like many of the men in your company you had caught malaria, and spent days laying in your cot shaking from sickness and vomiting your guts out; If the food wasn't bad enough going down out here, it was even worse coming back up. Doc fed you meds to heal your body up but they took time since the symptoms came a few days after being bitten, if you caught it, you were definatly going to be in rough shape.

Runner Connely shook violently as Lew "Chuckler" Juergens draped a blanket over him, he was in the later stages and was constantly cold even though even without malaria you were sweating buckets. You were still having the sweats and all you could do was lay there and take it.

"This was all I could find you Bud." You heard Chuckler say to Runner, then he was at your side kneeling down to your level. Chuckler was always like a big brother to you, ever since he met you in basic training when you joined the Marines, his big eyes examining your sweaty face.

"Can I do anything?" He asked, he was acting as the nurse for you and Runner and weeks before, Hoosier.

"W..water.." You manage to squeak out as you attempt to move toward him.

Chuckler picked up the canteen that lay next to your cot and placing his hand behind your shoulders he lifted you forward, cautious of moving you to make sure you didn't throw up or pass out.

"Easy, there you go." He coaxed, as you drank greedily attempting to quell your fever and pounding headache. With a sigh you leaned away and lay back down onto your damp cot.

"Thanks Lew." You whisper with a weak smile, he just smiled back and pushed the hair off your face. He stood up and walked toward the tent flap as Runner threw a bit of paper at Leckie who had been lounging, writing letters to a dame back home that would never be sent and she would probably never know the existance of.

"Read to us Daddy." Runner said, shaking. Leckie began to read, explaining the "meaning" of the name Pavuvu and how he didn't know and didn't care if the meaning he wrote was true or not. Listening to Leckie read was always relaxing. On nights when you were all in Guadalcanal you would ask Leckie to read his letters and even under fire, curled against the others in a damp foxhole, you could find a little peace, and now to his words you began to drift off and into a fever driven dream.

You woke up screaming and had managed to throw yourselfoff your cot, it was dark but you could hear people coming back to the world in confusion of the abrupt wake up. Runner, Leckie, Chuckler and Syd all had said a simultanious "What the fuck!?" As you pushed yourself into a corner, shaking, still caught in mild fever delearium.

"(Y/n), what the hell? Are you okay? What happened? You're alright." Voices of your friends friends came from every angle but what danced before your eyes couldn't be them.

"Don't touch me!" You yelped, out in terror. You heard boots on the sand coming toward you.

"(Y/n), what happened? What's wrong with her?" You knew that voice, it was important.

"Think it was a nightmare, she just screamed and flipped out."

"Hey, (y/n), it's okay it was only a dream. You're okay. (y/n), it's Hoosier, you're okay I promise." He spoke eagerly as you looked around in the dark nervously, never focusing on the men who looked on so desperatly at you. You gasped as he grabbed you're arms tightly, but suddenly things began to clear. Your head throbbed and your shaking increased as sobs began to wrack your body, as you began realising what had happened. Quickly his arms wrapped around you, holding you tight. You dug your hands into his shirt, pulling him to you, as if he was all that was left in the world.

Hoosier and you had always been the closest, at first you eyed him as a snob while he was working for a runner for CP, but that constant down turned mouth was never out of ego it was out of fear, he was afraid to get close to anyone here, he was afraid to show weakness. Only weeks after that you were inseperable, on base and in battle, you drank disgusting wine on Guadalcanal together to which he said, "If you can't fight em drunk, don't fight em at all.", in Autrailia you spent nearly all your time playing cards in the football stadium you were housed in as the others drank and fucked their way through the continent. Memories were engraved into your brain, Hoosier knew nearly everything about you and you liked to think you knew everything about him.

You latched onto his arms and pulled him into a hug, gently he lifted your frail body off the sandy floor, and carried you outside.

He sat down on the beach, placing you in his lap. You were still wrapped to him and can feel his hand rubbing soft circles on your back, you shake from the malaria and crying, tears still slide slowly down your face.

"I saw you, all of you…" You whisper, tilting your head up to look at him. "You were in the ocean swimming. You, Leckie, Chuckler, Runner, Sid… all of you.. and as I swam out to you the water turned to blood and your bodies drifted past. I tried to pull you out but everytme I pulled one of you to the shore, you would be pulled back by the current and away from me. You were dying and there was nothing I could do!" Now you were choking on your words between gasps as you began to hyperventilate, grasping at Hoosier. He gently hushed you and wrapped his arms around you, rocking you gently.

"Its okay, it was all a dream, just the fever." He whispered, lips in your hair. "I promise I will never leave you okay, it'll be okay."

Still looking at him you reached up and brushed your fingers against his cheek. In the moonlight his feautures nearly glowed, and you could see his eyes flicker closed at the touch. Your head still throbbed but the cool breeze of the tropical night helped your fever, the delerium had passed but your body still shook.

"Look at us, look what this shit had done to us." You whispered , his eyes tracked over your sunken features. You thought of all that had happened, you were nothing more than a skeleton and he was sunken but the muscule he had gained held up his skin, on the outside you were still alive but inside, as every soldier and marine knew you had all died long before.

Hoosier was never knew how to express himself, so he just nodded and tightened his grip on you. You knew he was thinking the exact same thing. The war had killed you, there were survivours but no one went home unwounded. He looked out to the ocean and you closed your eyes to listen to the waves hit the shore mingled with far of artillary fire and the wind through the palms trees surrounding your camp, even now the stench of rotting coconuts that always intoxicated Pavuvu could not bother you now. You just lay there curled in Hoosiers arms, tears drying in the breeze and still shaking but content.

"Do you remember in Austrailia, that one night I took you dancing." He asked, still staring out at the reflection of the moon as it danced atop the ocean waves.

You smiled, as you recalled the dress you had bought just for the occasion, it was green and flowing, you loved that dress. You remembered preparing for that night in the stadium washrooms, repeatitivly washing up making sure you looked perfect, you applied make up in a rusty fashion, it had been months since you had done that. You remembered looking in the mirror and hardly recognizing yourself, you examined your full lips painted red and big (e/c) eyes framed with dark lashes, your features were smoothed but not even make up could cover your sunken features. Though you were no longer covered in grim from the jungle the effect of it was still there, but you felt like a million bucks in comparison. Butterflies flew around inside your stomach, you just pinned up your hair and reminded yourself, it's just Hoosier. After pestering over every detail you decided that was as good as it was gonna get and glanced at your watched, the face cracked from when you fell once trudging through the jungle, hitting your arm on a root, it was time to go. As you left the washroom you stopped dead in your tracks, you looked down, you had no shoes, your combat boots would have to do and you pulled them on as you walked toward the exit, curtsying and twirling for the hollering boys who were on their way out too for another night of boozing and women. Then there he was, wringing his hands in his dress uniform, he looked so handsome, and when he saw you he froze, eyes running up and down the length of your body.

"What's wrong Hooshh, never seen a girl before?" You say slyly, trying to be alluring like a movie actress stepping close to him, his eyes now resting on your face with a look of shock.

"Never one so pretty." He said only loud enough for you to hear, and with that he blushed with all your might and looked down at your boots with a smile.

"Love the shoes, very complimenting of such an outfit." He said with a smile, making you both laugh, with that you took his arm and headed out.

You and Hoosier found a bar and sat down for a drink, it was nice and you talked about the long lists of everything you both planned for when you went home, both lists starting with "surivive". You both smiled and laughed at each others detailed plans and then as you took at swig of beer your ears pricked to a song playing in the background near the dance floor.

"Holy shit! This is my favorite song!" You half yelled, startling Hoosier, "Come on!" You pulled him quickly by the sleeves toward the dance floor, once you were there you both stopped for a second realizing you had never danced together. Quickly, you took one of his hands with a smile and placed it on your waist and took the other in your own, and let him pull you close against his body. Your head rested against his chest and closed your eyes as you slowly swirled around the dance floor as "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" played, you were nervous but couldn't let on that moment, afraid that your dance with Hoosier would end.

"This is nice." He whispered, "No stepping on my feet and ruining it okay."

You laughed and looked up at him, suddenly his smile faded and he looked into your eyes. You felt the gap between you closing and your grip on his shoulder pulled him to you, your eyes fluttered, you felt his breath on your face, you felt his lips brush yours. Suddenly, the MPs burst through the door, shouting that all Marines were to report back to base.

"We should go!" You said snapping back to reality, what had you nearly done? You could have ruined everything, you were out here fighting a war and there you were dancing like a little girl with a silly crush.

"Yeah." He whispered, shoving his hands into his pockets.

You walked out of the bar in silence, the song was over now and so was the night. You walked down the road, Australian girls smiling and sending breathless hellos to Hoosier, like you weren't even there, and you laughed to yourself. He laughed too at the reaction of the locals to Marines , maybe the night would be okay. He bent his elbow motioning for you to takeit, you did and continued to walk happily back to base.

"Yeah, I remember that night Hoosier, of course I do, it was the happiest night of my life." You replied, looking back up at him, his heart beating quickly in your ear.

"You were so beautiful." He looked down at you, you swear her could see you blush in the moonlight, "But not as much as you are right now."

"Hoosier..?" You whispered confused, but he quickly cut you off as he lifted your face and crached his lips into yours, hands roaming, you grasped his collar pulling yourself up closer to him, straddling him. Your lips moved in sync, tongues battling, heavy breathing, your hands ran up through his short blonde hair and he wrapped his arms around you holding you so tight it felt like your ribs might break but it felt better than anything. The kiss began to slow and you pulled back just looking at him eyes fluttering in surprise, smiling lightly at each other mingled with surprise and joy. You leaned in and pressed a soft lingering kiss to his lips.

"(Y/n), I think I love you." He whispered. You can't tell if your shaking from the sickness or the adreniline.

"I think I love you too Bill." You whisper back, pulling him close to you, leaning your forehead to his, you shivered, the shakes coming in.

"Here." Hoosier whispered, pulling off his army jacket and wrapping it around you, it smelled like dirt and soap, it what just so Hoosier. He pulled your small frame against his chest and you both just sat there listening to the ocean, holding each other.

Things may not be okay forever, but right now is was and that's all that matters, shaking there in the sand with the man you fell for in the middle of hell, half way across the world, this was all that mattered and nothing, not even the battle far away, the bansai attacks, awful food, malaria, sand crabs, nothing would ever take this away from you, and against Hoosiers chest you began to drift to sleep.


End file.
